The President's Daily Brief - President’s Daily Brief | March 25th, 2024: Moscow Massacre, Polish Skies Breached, & Greene's Gambit

Episode Date: March 25, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: We explore Russia's national heartache following a tragic terrorist attack in Moscow that claimed over 130 lives during a concert. With ISIS claiming responsibility, President Vladimir Putin suggests Ukrainian involvement. We cover the tense developments in Poland as Russian missiles encroach on their airspace, sending Polish armed forces into high alert and leaving leaders demanding answers from Moscow. The political temperature rises in the US as Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene initiates a bold move to challenge House Speaker Mike Johnson's position. In today's Back of the Brief, we delve into Mexican President Obrador's controversial stance on his country's drug cartels amidst a crisis of narcotics-related deaths in America. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade. Stop taking bad travel advice. Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak and get your trip right. Bad advice. You talking to me? Kayak. Got that right.

It's Monday, 25 March. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. The people of Russia are in a state of mourning after four terrorists killed over 130 people at a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow. While the Islamic State has taken credit for the attack and intel reporting backs that up, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian state media are trying to link the massacre to Ukraine. Later in the program, Polish armed forces went into a state of heightened readiness this weekend after a Russian missile breached Polish airspace, prompting the nation's leaders to demand an explanation from Moscow. I'm sure that explanation will be forthcoming. Plus, high drama or

massive dysfunction, however you want to refer to it, returns to the U.S. House of Representatives as Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green takes the first steps to unseat Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. If the Republicans weren't arguing amongst themselves or trying to impeach various Democrats, just think about how much free time they'd have to actually legislate. And in today's back of the brief, Mexican President Obador says his government will not fight against the nation's drug cartels, even as hundreds of thousands of Americans die from narcotics being moved through his country. Now, spoiler alert, Obrador, better known by his initials AMLO, has famously pursued his Hugs Not Bullets policy towards cartels since his campaign in election victory in 2018. He's never

fought the cartels, and under AMLO, they've thrived. But first, today's PDB spotlight. Over 130 people are dead and many more wounded after a group of terrorists attacked a concert venue in suburban Moscow on Friday. According to reports and video of the incident, four gunmen entered the Crocus City all complex, armed with semi-automatic rifles and incendiary devices, and began randomly firing concert goers while setting fire to the building. In addition to those who were killed more than 120 others were injured in the incident. Dozens remain in serious condition, including two children. Russian officials report that the four suspects involved in the attack were detained in the Breonsk region, that's the region southwest of Moscow, which borders both Belarus and Ukraine.

The suspects were immediately taken to Moscow where they are now in the custody of Russia's investigative committee. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, as you can imagine, there was a lot of finger-pointing and speculation as to who was behind the massacre. Late on Friday, Deputy Secretary of Russia's National Security Council, Dmitri Medvedev, always a useful Putin mouthpiece, floated the idea that the terrorists were Ukrainian, adding that those responsible would be found and mercilessly destroyed. potentially, including members of the Ukrainian government. For their part, the Ukrainian intelligence ministry was quick to blame Russia itself for the attack. In a statement, they called the attack, quote, a planned and deliberate provocation by Russian special services at the behest of Putin to justify even tougher strikes on Ukraine and total mobilization in Russia, end quote.

However, within a few hours of the attack, the Islamic State, we remember them, announced on social media that it was responsible for the massacre. A day later, the group released a video of the attack taken by the attackers themselves. Now, this attack didn't come out of the blue, and here at the PDB, we reported earlier this month on the potential for something like this to happen. As we highlighted a couple of weeks ago, the U.S. Embassy in Russia issued a warning to American citizens in Moscow to avoid large gatherings, citing heightened fears of a terrorist attack. That warning, was issued on the same day that Russian security services announced that they had thwarted an attack on a Moscow synagogue that was being planned by the Islamic State. According to the FSB, the terrorist cell

was planning on carrying out a massacre, just like the one we saw on Friday at the Crocus City Hall Music Venue. The terrorists were found with firearms and ammunition and materials for making an improvised explosive device. That group that was planning the synagogue attack, and fortunately, was stopped, was ISIS K, or ISIS K, the same branch of the Islamic State that claimed responsibility for this Friday's attack. They've carried out previous terrorist actions against Russia and recently carried out the massive bombing in Iran that targeted a memorial service for Kassam Soleimani, the former Koods Force commander, taken out by a drone strike back in 2020. Now, ISIS K is operating out of Afghanistan, Iran, and also Pakistan. In recent times, they've carried out an increasing

number of attacks against the Taliban as they battle for territory and influence within the Afghan population. Likewise, they've stepped up attacks against Iran and Russia for their perceived growing support and relationship with the Taliban. However, despite all evidence to the contrary, the Kremlin still seems intent on linking Kiv to the massacre. Putin's mantra, as always been, never let a crisis go to waste and never let the facts get in the way. In his first comments after the attack on Saturday, President Putin said that the attackers were moving toward Ukraine as they fled. Putin said, quote, based on preliminary information, a window for crossing the border was prepared for them by the Ukrainian side, end quote.

Shockingly, he didn't offer any evidence for his claim. It's also worth noting, Putin dismissed U.S. warnings about a potential terror incident in Moscow just days before Friday's attack, calling the idea, quote, blackmail from the West. Following the policy of duty to warn, U.S. officials had briefed Russian officials on credible intelligence that pointed to a potential and imminent attack. Had Putin chose to pay attention, the attack may have been thwarted. As it is, Russian authorities and state media are predictably looking for a way to tie the attack to Ukraine. Now, Ukraine has denied repeatedly having any role in the terrorist attack. In a statement posted to X on Saturday, Ukrainian President Zelensky said, quote,

what happened in Moscow yesterday is obvious, and Putin and other scums are trying to shift the blame to someone else, end quote. Zelensky went on to accuse Putin of trying to exploit the tragedy for personal power. All right, a quick program note. This coming Saturday, I'll be hosting the March edition of our monthly Ask Me Anything exclusively for premium members of the PDB. As the name implies, it's your opportunity to, well, ask me anything, whether it's about intelligence gathering, national security issues, movie and book recommendations, my bracket for the NCAA tournament, anything else. If you'd like to participate, it's simple. Become a premium member at PDB Premium.com. The questions and comments that we get on a daily basis from PDB listeners are excellent,

and the Ask Me Anything sessions are, well, there are a way to highlight your terrific input. Okay, coming up after the break. A serious breach as a Russian missile enters Polish airspace. What this means for international tensions as Poland seeks answers from Moscow. Also, the battle lines are drawn on to. Capitol Hill, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green ignites a political firestorm as she moves to challenge Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. I'll be right back. This is Euphoria Calvin Klein, the new elixir collection featuring three perfume intense scents,

inspired by a unique orchid accord paired with vanilla, each with its own distinct attitude, each with its own universe, bold elixir, sensual, woody, addictive, magnetic elixir, sweet and romantic like a lingering touch. Solar elixir, a radiant expression of joy, ultra-concentrated for amplified impact and lasting power. Find your euphoria. Discover the euphoria elixir collection by Calvin Klein. Welcome back.

Even as Moscow reeled from Friday's terrorist attack, the Russian military launched a massive missile barrage on Western Ukraine. Early Sunday, Ukraine faced the Kremlin's third major missile strike in just four days, with 57 missiles and Iranian-made drones launched by Russia, including an attack on the Capitol. The attacks were again targeting critical infrastructure. According to a statement on telegram, Ukraine's Air Force successfully intercepted 18 of the 29 missiles and 25 of the 28 attack drones, and as if tensions didn't need ratcheting up, one of the missiles appears to have briefly entered Polish airspace. The Armed Forces Operational Command of Poland, that's part of

NATO, reported a breach of its airspace by a Russian cruise missile at 4.23 a.m. Polish time. The missile, which was one of several, launched against towns in Western Ukraine, entered Polish airspace over a village close to the Ukrainian border and remained in Polish territory for 39 seconds. The statement did not clarify whether the incursion into Polish airspace was intentional. It's known that cruise missiles do have the capability to alter their flight paths, which can enable them to bypass air defense systems. Later, the Polish Minister of Defense informed reporters that had there been any indication the Russian missile was aimed at a target within Poland, it would have been intercepted

and shot down. He added that Polish and NATO F-16s were activated as part of the strategic response. response. In response to the breach, the Polish foreign ministry said that it would, quote, demand explanations from the Russian Federation in connection with another violation of the country's airspace, end quote. Russian officials haven't offered a comment on the airspace breach. And the Ukrainian military, for its part, was not quite over the weekend either, firing long-range missiles on the port city of Sevastopol in annexed Crimea. Ukraine's military said that it had successfully attacked two of Russia's large landing ships, the Yamal and the Azov, and a communication

sub in Sevastopol, as well as other unspecified infrastructure facilities. If the claims are accurate, it would be yet another major damaging and embarrassing blow to Russia's already ailing Black Sea fleet, which is based in Crimea. According to reports, Ukrainians used Western-supplied storm shadow cruise missiles to conduct the attack. All right. Third, Turning now to some U.S. domestic news, it looks like we're on the verge of some more high drama in the U.S. House of Representatives. Well, that's nothing new. After the Republican-controlled House passed a $1.2 trillion spending bill to narrowly avert a government shutdown on Friday night, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green took the first steps toward ousting Mike Johnson,

filing a what's called a motion to vacate against the House Speaker. Speaking to reporters outside the Capitol, Green said that the House needs a new speaker, but added, quote, I'm not doing this to throw the House into chaos, end quote. Oh. Although Green filed the motion, she did not activate it by speaking on the House floor and officially calling for a vote. Green signaled that she would trigger the motion if the Speaker brings the $95 billion Senate Ukraine funding bill to a vote next month. Now, so far, Johnson has refused to allow a floor vote on the bill, but he has promised to address Ukraine aid when lawmakers return from a two-week break in April. Yes, you heard me correctly.

The lawmakers will be on a two-week break from D.C. They essentially use the time away to return home and deal with pressing issues, like raising money and getting re-elected. Green's resolution to remove Johnson would require a simple majority of all House members voting and not voting present to succeed. If all Democrats voted to unseat the Speaker, well, Green would need just a handful of GOP colleagues to join them. And that's exactly what happened last October when eight House Republicans banded together with a solid block of Democrats to oust Kevin McCarthy. However, there's a growing indication that this time around, Democrats might not vote to oust Johnson and could protect him if, there's an if, he allowed a vote on stalled aid to Ukraine.

You see, that's what we call horse trading. The Republican members of Congress appear incapable of working together, and the reality is, well, they run the risk of losing their incredibly slim majority in the House and handing control back to the Democrats if they can't manage to put their big boy and big girl pants on and act like grownups interested in governing as a team. All right, coming up in the back of the brief, A controversial stance from Mexico's President Obrador, at least he's consistent, though, declaring a hands-off approach to the nation's powerful drug cartels. And to be fair, as I mentioned, he's always had a hands-off approach.

This, despite the staggering toll of American lives, lost to the flow of narcotics across the border. I'll be right back. In today's back of the brief, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, or Amlo, as he's known, has a lot of, has a lot of, a message for Americans. And that message is, all those deadly drugs crossing the border and killing hundreds of thousands of Americans, well, that's your problem, not mine. During his daily news briefing on Friday, the Mexican president said he has no intention of fighting the nation's drug cartels on behalf of the United States, calling the decision part of his Mexico first policy. Amlo told reporters, quote, we are not going to act as policemen for any foreign government, adding,

our home comes first, end quote. Now, the policy is a continuation of AMLO's so-called Hugs Not Bullets policy. That's catchy. Rather than focusing on the military or police force to combat the cartels, AMLO launched social programs and economic development efforts to tackle the root causes of crime, such as poverty and lack of education. It's hugs for thugs, essentially coexisting with the cartels to avoid violence and the bad poll numbers that increasing violence can cause.

Now, to be fair, it's a bit like the defund the police movement in the U.S., you know, let's hire more social workers and fewer police to deal with criminals, because, yeah, that ought to do it. While the policy might make Amlo feel self-righteous and possibly, possibly, financially benefit various members of government who play ball with the cartels, it's been completely ineffective in decreasing violence in the country and has basically allowed the Mexican cartels to operate with impunity, and it's allowed the cartels to continue to pump heroin, marijuana, meth, fent, fent, and other drugs into the United States.

Amlo's comments came on the same day that new figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that nearly 108,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in the year 2022. And over the last two decades, the number of U.S. overdose deaths has risen almost every year and has continued to break annual records, making it the worst overdose epidemic in American history. Now, the Mexican Constitution allows each president to serve one six-year term. Amlo was elected in 2018, and he was elected effectively campaigning on his goal of hugging it out with the cartels. And voters reacted to that because in part they were for. from rising violence from previous administration's attempts to fight the cartels.

Now, that means that Amlo wraps up his presidency this year. It remains to be seen if the next president will continue the policy of just managing the cartels or will have the Cajonis to take them on. The frontrunner, currently, to win this two-June election is Claudia Scheinbaum. She's the former Mexico City mayor, so thinking about it, my Cajon's line, might need some work. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Monday, 25 March. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.

Ryan Reynolds here for MintMobil. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities, so do like I did and have one of your assistants assistants assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com.